News Corp announced today that it has successfully completed its acquisition of Move, Inc. (“Move”). Move is a leading provider of online real estate services and operates a network of sites, including realtor.com®, the official website for the National Association of Realtors®.

Through realtor.com® and its mobile applications, Move displays more than 98% of all for-sale properties listed in the US. The Move network of websites reaches more than 30 million people per month, who spend an average of 22 minutes each on its sites.

“In partnership with the National Association of Realtors® and its one million members, we look forward to turbo-charging realtor.com® and making it the most popular and profitable property site in America,” said Robert Thomson, Chief Executive of News Corp. Mr. Thomson said that the acquisition of Move extends News Corp’s operations globally and digitally, and substantially bolsters the real estate pillar of its business.

Agents: if you have not done so already, claim your Agent Profile from realtor.com®. Use this tool to manage what people learn about you on realtor.com® and from social media.

A profile acts as the basic building block for other free tools from realtor.com®Here are some benefits of a claimed realtor.com® profile:

It’s an easy way to ask for recommendations and get them posted on realtor.com® and on social media sites

REALTORS® can generate leads and connect with consumers

All of your listings will feature a clickable link to your profile where you can demonstrate your expertise and show your activity

Not sure if you’ve already claimed your profile? Finding out is simple – just do a search for yourself in the Find a REALTOR® Directory on realtor.com®. If you are asked to claim your profile through a clickable link then you have not claimed it, and should do so.For step-by-step instructions on setting up your profile, please refer to realtor.com/profile-support.

All your recommendations, listings, local knowledge, social postings and more, in one location.

Early today, the announcement of a definitive agreement for Move, Inc. to be acquired by the global media and information services company News Corp was made in New York. This is a historic moment for our company, which began its public life in 1999 as Homestore.com, Inc. and today accounts for more than 3.7 million homes listed for sale on our websites and apps and attracts nearly 35 million unique monthly visitors.

We have been in discussions with News Corp for some time now about the unique value and potential of realtor.com® and our leading brand assets, including ListHub™, TopProducer®, TigerLead® and FiveStreetSM, as well as our leading online destinations in the moving and rentals spaces. News Corp sees the same potential we do – and we could not be more pleased to consummate today’s agreement, which carries the full support of the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR).

The significance of this acquisition for the industry is embodied in the specific and tangible benefits to Move and its constituents, in the shared values between Move and News Corp, and in the continuation of the mission that has led to our success thus far and will continue to drive us in the months and years ahead.

Substantial benefits

Combining the assets of Move and News Corp will result in broad and substantial benefits for home buyers and home sellers, agents and brokers, and organized real estate in general. Specifically, the combination will deliver:

Broadened reach for Move through News Corp’s robust media platform, including the WSJ Digital Network (which accounts for approximately 500 million average monthly page views) and News America Marketing (which reaches nearly 74 million U.S. households)

Increased sales and marketing support to drive higher brand awareness and traffic

Increased traffic and time on site with high quality News Corp content

In 2013, News Corporation separated into two distinct, publicly traded companies – News Corp and 21st Century Fox (which is home to Twentieth Century Fox Film, Fox Television, Fox News Channel and other broadcasting and entertainment businesses).

Shared values

The “new” News Corp is today one of the world’s leading media and information services companies, comprised of news, book publishing, digital real estate, digital education and integrated marketing businesses. It is home to such iconic brands as Dow Jones, The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, the New York Post, The Australian and HarperCollins Publishing, as well as The Times, Sunday Times and The Sun in the UK. News Corp also has a 61.6% stake in the REA Group Limited (REA), which operates the leading Australian residential property website, realestate.com.au. REA plans to hold a 20% stake in Move, with 80% held by News Corp.

Many of the companies in the online real estate space have a demonstrated interest in participating in the fee and commission structure of real estate transactions. In contrast, News Corp’s focus on media and information services provides consumers and real estate professionals with accurate and timely information. Additionally, News Corp knows real estate. They have strong and long-standing relationships with the industry and enter into this agreement with a deep commitment to partnering with the NAR and Realtors. News Corp believes that real estate professionals – the more than one million Realtors, brokers, agents and MLS operators who form the backbone of our industry – remain vital to a great real estate experience.

News Corp also believes that Move’s standing in the marketplace – as the source of the biggest, best and most accurate inventory of homes for sale and rent – as well as our partnership with the NAR differentiate our business and uniquely position us to lead the industry.

Continuing the mission

Most companies launch Internet strategies to disrupt conventional business practices – sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. Recognizing the impact the Internet might have on real estate information, the NAR had the foresight some 16 years ago to reinvent how consumers gain access to property information. The belief was that if consumers sought real estate information online, it should come from the best source of information – Realtors – versus others who would simply add cost and complexity to real estate transactions.

Through realtor.com® the NAR and Move wrote the book on how online real estate should function. Now, as part of News Corp, we will have access to resources, content and media assets that will enable us to more rapidly achieve our potential.

As we leverage these considerable new assets, our mission and our focus remain constant. Today and in the future, we will provide people with the content, tools and professional expertise they need to find their perfect home and work tirelessly to ensure that the real estate professional remains indispensably connected to the process of buying and selling homes.

That means promoting the REALTOR® brand. Generating the best quality leads. Powering syndication through broker choice and control. And creating equal opportunity for all participants in the business. As part of News Corp, we will ensure that Move and all of our assets have the right tools, resources and reach to compete vigorously – and to lead.

We know we speak for all of us at Move in saying how enthusiastic we are to join News Corp – and in thanking you for your continued support of our people, products and services. Continued success and best wishes.

The realtor.com® Real Estate App is optimized for iOS 8, which arms home buyers and renters using an iPhone®, iPad® or iPod® touch with a more intuitive and efficient tool to stay on top of the latest properties to hit the market. The app provides users with a convenient new way to view active and accurate for-sale and rental properties on the market in real-time based on the recent search criteria of existing app users right from the Today view. A simple tap on the listing preview in the Today view takes users to the listing within the application. Another tap on the “View All Homes” button opens the search results page, sorted by newest listings first. For users who have not yet used the app, Today view will show listings in their current locations.

The realtor.com® Real Estate App already offers search-enhancing features such as a search-by-school or district function, and the ability to draw and create a custom search grid. Real estate professionals can also use the app to search with clients so they stay connected while looking for a home to buy or sell.

The Real Estate App is available for free on the App Store for iPhone®, iPad® and iPod® touch or on iTunes.

The new Find™ app for real estate professionals is only available to agents and brokers through their local Multiple Listing Service (MLS). The Find™ app empowers real estate professionals with on-the-go access to critical agent-level listing detail, such as agent remarks and showing instructions, in an easy-to-use interface that mimics the popular realtor.com® mobile applications for consumers and professionals.

“The Find™ app empowers agents with a single, familiar interface that eliminates the confusion of varying feature sets and access points that mark the current professional app landscape – providing equal opportunity and experience for all members of an MLS,” said Russ Cofano, senior vice president of industry relations for Move. “We’ve placed our priority on delivering the accurate, timely and complete information that agents on the road need to serve their clients and to cooperate with fellow real estate professionals to facilitate and close transactions.”

The Find™ app leverages the best features available in the realtor.com® mobile app — such as searching by school and school district, drawing a custom search, and making personal notes on listings — and adds specific enhancements designed specifically for agents, including:

Collaborative search, allowing agents to invite and connect with clients right away and notifying agents about client-side actions such as ‘ask my agent’ and ‘request a showing’

Agent remarks, and showing instructions

Number of days the listing has been displayed on realtor.com®

Short sale and bank owned status

Compensation details

Driving directions

One-click access to contact the listing or selling agent or broker directly

Combination with ListHub Creates a Single Data Platform to Streamline and Improve Industry’s Syndication and Data Protections

Move, Inc. (operator of realtor.com®) has acquired the listing syndication arm of Point2, operated by Yardi Canada Ltd. ListHub, the nation’s foremost listing syndicator and provider of marketing analytics for the real estate industry, also operated by Move, will assume Point2’s syndication relationships with 112 Multiple Listing Services (MLSs) in the United States representing more than 900,000 listings to offer the industry a streamlined and unified syndication platform. The combined network will remove duplication of listings currently served by both systems, and will now provide information from more than 600 data sources, and distribute approximately three million listings nationwide, or close to 85 percent of residential listings in the country.

The acquisition enables ListHub, as a single, trusted source for online listing syndication and reporting services, to deliver even greater value to MLSs, brokers and real estate publisher websites. Combining the two platforms will reduce listing duplication and data fragmentation, reduce online listing inaccuracy through ListHub’s rigorous requirements, and provide more accurate metrics and measurement of online marketing across numerous websites.

“This is a critical step toward our vision of a single industry platform to manage listing, agent, lead and other analytics information in a single platform, which is an important component for the largest brokerages and franchises that span multiple MLS markets,” said Luke Glass, executive vice president of industry platforms for Move. “Once the transition is completed, these listings will be protected under ListHub’s stringent terms that guide the responsible and fair exchange of value between content owners and publishers, while brokers will have a single point of control through their dashboard. This model offers significant advantages to the industry in improved online listing accuracy, a single platform for MLSs and their largest brokerages and franchise members, and streamlined service for the publishers who strive to serve the industry through marketing websites and other software solutions.”

Point2 will continue to provide its signature real estate solutions including Point2 Agent, Point2 Homes, agent and MLS public websites, IDX tools, mobile applications, and additional tools to help real estate professionals be more productive and competitive.

“Both Point2 and ListHub serve brokers and agents by helping them to expand their digital presence online,” said Gordon Morrell, chief operating officer of Point2. “As the industry evolves, we want to stay focused on providing the top quality programs and services Point2 is known for throughout the United States and Canada.

Realtor.com® is creating additional content and ad placements for use throughout realtor.com®. This is focused on individual REALTOR® designations and certifications. These will include articles explaining the value delivered by members with these credentials, including a link to a search for them in the Find a REALTOR® directory.

Realtor.com® introduced the Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS) promotion to provide consumers searching for properties on realtor.com® International the ability to connect with REALTORS® specializing in foreign transactions. Consumers are now able to find and engage with CIPS designees who can meet their specialized needs.

REALTORS® with the CIPS designation will benefit from the exposure generated from our new CIPS promotion, leading to additional engagement opportunities with consumers seeking to connect with a REALTOR® who is knowledgeable on international transactions and who is well-equipped to serve their specialized needs.

Featured in the July 2014 Issue of RISMedia Magazine, Steve Berkowitz, our CEO, explains Move Inc.’s position on the industry and how realtor.com® reinforces the broker’s brand. Luke Glass, who heads up Move, Inc.’s Industry Relations, goes into depth on how Move, Inc. and realtor.com® give brokers more control and protections to safeguard their listing data. Luke also elaborates on how brokers use our systems to manage where and how listings appear.

Ray Picard, our sales leader, describes how Move, Inc. has broadened the solution set for brokers to include customizable programs that go well beyond listing display. This includes integrated lead response, routing, and customer management that are modular and adaptable. These systems, with good reporting, help build relationships up to and beyond the closing. They also give brokers strong tools for recruiting, retention and revenue growth.

Starting July 1, 2014, consumer inquiries generated from the “request more details” form on realtor.com® Showcase℠ listings will now include the submitter’s phone number, increasing the likelihood of contacting prospective buyers. On the new lead form, Phone Number is no longer optional and is therefore a required field for form submission.

That’s not all…in the coming months we will be making more enhancements to the Showcase℠ solution.

Questions? Call 800.878.4166. We’d love to help.

Move, Inc. verifies phone numbers and email addresses by submitting them to a third-party service for the purpose of confirming that the phone number or email address does in fact exist. However, Move, Inc. is unable to determine whether the phone number or email address actually belongs to a person with the name provided by prospect.